Do You Take Sugar?
by soiknowwhentoduck
Summary: Steve is blindfolded, it's his 25th birthday, and his friends have hired a stripper for him - but 'Danielle' turns out to be not quite what he expected. [Danny isn't a cop and Steve isn't in the Navy - Ch1 is the evening from Danny's perspective, ch2 is the same but from Steve's, ch3 is the next day from mixed POV]
1. Danny's POV

Danny Williams was used to this kind of shit. Hell, half his bookings were idiot guys on stag parties or drunken fraternity hazers wanting to screw over their straight friends for a cheap laugh. 'Oops did we book a male stripper by _accident_?' was heard so often it was just background noise now.

But he still got paid, and if he got to take his money from morons then it was all the same to him. He might get some verbal abuse – physical abuse wasn't often an issue because he knew how to fight if required – and hear some name calling and stupid remarks, but he'd learned to ignore the vast majority of it over time.

And this evening was no different, because he was being led into an apartment where a bunch of young men in their twenties were gathered – according to his booking sheet it was some guy's birthday – and the man ushering him through had his fingers to his lips to ensure the stripper stayed quiet. He'd had to travel from Jersey across into New York to a crappy apartment building for this job, but his pay would easily cover a comfortable cab journey home and go towards his bills, so that's all he could ask for.

He never really enjoyed New York, so it was bad enough to have to head all the way over to the city, let alone suffer the fools who occupied the room tonight, but he would push through it regardless and do the best job he could.

The man of the hour was blindfolded in the middle of the room and handcuffed to a chair with those crappy, easily-breakable novelty handcuffs you could get in cheap sex shops, and his friends were all shoving at his shoulders and whooping and cackling.

"Oh Steve, man! Have we got a gift for _you_!" One of the idiots danced about and smacked the restrained brunette playfully. "We told you we were getting you a stripper, right? Well say _helloooo_ to _Danielle_!"

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he was beckoned forward. Oh yeah, Danielle, that was a new one...

He was guided to straddle the birthday boy – the dancing idiot had called him Steve – and he sat lightly in his lap, facing him. Danny was slim, but he wasn't exactly light as he had a lot of muscle on him, so he didn't drop all of his weight, letting the boys have their fun and try to keep the illusion they'd bought their friend a female performer.

The guy actually blushed and squirmed slightly, and that gave Danny a little hope for humanity.

"Uh, hi Danielle..."

He didn't reply, his voice would give it away instantly, so instead he cupped the guy's chin and smoothed one thumb playfully along his jawline, swerved his hips to grind down against him a little, and then backed off.

Douche no.2 laughed. "She don't talk much, Steve. She's a little shy!"

It was a 25th birthday, he knew that much, so that put his brunette client a couple of months younger than him. At least he was cute and seemed to have a nice body – that helped.

"Come on then," one of the guys called out, pulling out a video camera and beginning to record, "Put the music on and lets have this girl do a little lap dance!"

Someone turned up the music which had been playing in the background and switched the track. Pour Some Sugar On Me started up, and Danny was glad it was a song he knew and actually had a routine to, and he kicked off his shoes.

He turned and backed up against Steve, nudging his legs apart so he could stand closer, rotating his hips and bending forward, undulating his pelvis so his butt bumped gently into the guy's chest. He was close enough for the outsides of his thighs to move against Steve's legs, and he dipped low enough to rub his ass against the guy's crotch, looking over his shoulder for a response.

The brunette had the decency to look uncomfortable and a little embarrassed, which was endearing in a man his age. If his supposed friends were anything to go by, the standard of young men these days was slipping drastically, and they seemed to be pretty typical from what the stripper regularly saw in his line of work.

He made quick work of shedding his clothes, unbuttoning his dark blue shirt as he rolled his hips sensually, ensuring he made regular contact with the bound man, and eased it off his shoulders before throwing it to one of the drunken audience. The dark-haired man who caught it looked a little freaked out and batted it away like it was a live grenade, and Danny smiled. He did love making the homophobes uncomfortable.

Everyone else continued to shout out encouragement to 'Danielle' and inform Steve that his stripper was 'the hottest girl ever' and tell him how lucky he was.

Danny's dark slacks had velcro holding them together at the side seams, and he gripped the fronts of the thighs and ripped the fabric forwards and away from Steve at a dramatic point in the music, his ass still in the guy's face. He considered how pointless it was to follow his usual routine when Steve couldn't even see it, and the other guys' pleasure was only derived from his making bodily contact anyway, each ass-bump producing a new round of celebratory noises from the audience, but he was a professional so he was just going to continue on anyway.

"Nice underwear, baby!" one of the morons cried out and wolf whistled.

Danny was just down to his tight black boxers now, and he turned to face his client as he threw his legs astride him again and danced in his lap to make him squirm. He put his hands lightly on the brunette's shoulders to skeep himself stable, and felt the heat of his body through the cotton, solid muscle underneath. Steve had a small smile on his face, but his cheeks were burning pink... and he was more than a little aroused by the situation if the bulge in his jeans was anything to go by.

Another drunk guy giggled manically and jumped up and down, obviously enjoying their prank way too much. "I think our man looks too hot in that shirt, Danielle. Time to cool him down!"

Danny continued to move in Steve's lap, and brought his hands from where they'd been rested to drift up his sides and go to the collar of his shirt. The top three buttons were already undone to expose a healthy dose of chest, but the stripper began to pop the rest one by one until Steve's body came into view.

And what a view it was; solid pecs, a smooth stomach, and glorious abs had all been hidden under the black cotton. Steve licked his lips nervously as his shirt was pushed down over his shoulders by Danny's nimble fingers and, dear god, he had tattoos decorating his biceps in technicolour. This was definitely not a difficult job for the blonde.

Danny shifted a little closer and glided his fingers up over that stomach and chest, purposefully caressing the bound man's nipples and making him jerk and gasp at the touch, still swaying his pelvis and bending his knees to slide his butt against Steve's denim-clad thighs.

"Give him a little kiss, Danielle!" whooped a particularly drunk idiot.

The stripper's eyes darted around the room at the laughing crowd before coming to rest on Steve's upturned face. Upon hearing that outburst, the young man had tilted his head upward to where he thought his female companion would be looking down on him.

Danny was clean shaven, so there were no whiskers to give away his gender as such, but he was still hesitant. He always felt a little guilty in this sort of situation, because the victim wasn't necessarily willing, and kissing was a little more intimate than a lap dance.

"Come on, kiss him!" The first douchebag hollered, glaring at the blonde when he glanced up before silently mouthing 'Come on man, we're fucking paying you!' He shook another twenty dollar bill at Danny, implying he'd get a tip for the additional request.

Danny shrugged inwardly. If Steve had an issue with this after he realised his entertainment was of the male persuasion, he could take it up with his buddies.

He looked back down on that handsome, blindfolded face, slid his hand under his strong jaw, and leaned down to kiss him. Boos filled the room when all he did was peck Steve on the lips, mouths only joined for a moment.

"You can do better than that!" a man sneered at him and downed the rest of his beer.

Danny looked back down at the man below him for some sort of confirmation. The brunette's lips curled up in a small smile and he made a little shrugging motion, indicating he didn't mind. Of course, he also didn't know it wasn't some hot girl called Danielle locking lips with him.

Regardless, he was about to disappoint the people who were giving him the money if he didn't, so he ducked down again to take those soft lips in another sweet kiss, longer this time.

A loud cheer went up from the men surrounding them, each one laughing and having their own fun at the birthday boy's expense, some making immature barfing noises at the sight of two men kissing, and some high fiving in their revelry... but Danny barely noticed any of it because Steve's lips were silky smooth and opening up to him, and he couldn't stop from sliding his tongue inside.

The brunette's stubble was rough in contrast, scraping a little at Danny's lips and fingers, and their tongues slid against each other as Steve actively kissed him back, moaning softly against his cheek. He tasted of beer and tequila, which would have been a turn off normally for Danny, but on this guy it was deliciously pleasant… or maybe it was just him as a whole package that appealed.

The kiss was electric, and as he slowed his undulations so he could focus on his client he lost himself to the sensations briefly, and his skin broke out in goosebumps while he sighed and huffed hot breath from his nose over Steve's face.

One of the guys moved forward from the group, chuckling to himself, and flicked open the cuffs to disconnect them from the chair legs. "Give your new girlfriend a little grope there, Stevie!"

Two large hands came up to Danny's butt tentatively, because the brunette was obviously a nice guy but maybe he could also feel that spark of connection between the two of them. He squeezed the stripper's ass cheeks before Danny straightened his back and broke the kiss, loving the tiny disappointed whimper it brought from the other man. He'd enjoyed it at least, although that was likely about to change.

It was the moment of truth, because Steve's right hand moved from the blonde's ass to tug up his blindfold.

Hazel eyes blinked hard and gazed up at Danny, before confusion wrinkled his brow and his hands dropped away.

"What the f..?" Steve whispered almost to himself, eyes darting down the stripper's very male body before going back to his face. "You're a _guy_!"

Danny gave him a sly lopsided grin and backed off him to give him some distance, going for humour to shield himself. "You noticed that, huh babe?"

Steve stood and gave an evil look to his friends; one in particular whom the blonde could only assume was the one who had been entrusted with purchasing the entertainment. "You're such a dick, Tyler..." the brunette hissed.

Danny sighed internally. It had been nice while it lasted, but apparently this guy was just like the others, and ashamed of being kissed and touched by another man. He always felt a little sorry for guys like him, not because of their heterosexuality but because of the negative emotion that had been instilled in them regarding any other 'abnormal' sexual preference.

His lips were still tingling from that kiss… it had been amazing. Such a shame.

Steve turned to look at Danny again, and their eyes met briefly again before the birthday boy quickly turned away and pulled his shirt back around him. He looked embarrassed as hell, and Danny couldn't help but feel bad for him.

His buddies were all laughing and moving in to clap him on the back and tease at his misfortune, so the stripper grabbed up his discarded clothing and began to redress.

There were several jeers along the lines of 'Caught you out, Steve!' and 'You kissed a guy man, that's so gay!' and 'You fucking loved it didn't you? You had his ass in your face and you loved it!'

He allowed himself the scowl his soul required while he put his back to the room and pulled his shirt on. He was being left alone, which was a plus. What a bunch of idiots, it was such a pity that people with those attitudes still existed, really. Guys who liked other guys were still a subject of mockery for a lot of straight men, and it was kind of pathetic that they were happy to use someone like Danny, who advertised as a stripper for male or female parties, to humiliate guys like Steve.

When he faced the room again he let his expression fall back to a neutral smirk, but he noticed that the birthday boy was watching him carefully while his buddies told him how hilarious his face had been.

The guy called Tyler approached him, slapping some bills into his hand, and he counted it to make sure it was all there, plus the extra twenty. "Fucking brilliant man," he cackled, and Danny wasn't sure if he was congratulating the stripper or himself, "The look on his face when he saw you were a dude! Too fucking funny!"

"Yeah, fabulous," Danny tried not to make his tone too biting, but wow he wanted to slap these supposed friends so hard, especially when he heard the words 'poof' and 'homo' being thrown about in the drunken banter between them.

He allowed himself one last glance at the man of the hour, who looked like he was going to hurl with the embarrassment and attention while rolling his eyes and downing a drink, and nodded at Tyler. "No problem, man."

He turned and headed out the front door of the apartment, shaking his head. It wouldn't do to punch a customer, not when they might recommend him to other morons... uh, he meant 'clients', of course...

He jogged down the stairs, through the small foyer, and hit the street, soaking up the cool city air, pulling his phone from his pocket to call a cab back home. The building's doors opened behind him, and he looked up to see Steve emerge onto the sidewalk, handcuffs still dangling from his wrists.

"Hey," the brunette spotted him and advanced towards him.

Danny almost went into a fighting stance, aware the guy might be angry about what happened – it wouldn't be the first time – but his expression appeared more worried than pissed.

"Danny, right?" the taller man stuffed his hands into his pockets hesitantly, stopping a couple of feet away, "Steve."

Danny let out a little snort, watching the other man carefully. "Yeah, I guess we weren't properly introduced, huh?" He hadn't expected to be followed, let alone have a conversation with the guy.

"I'm sorry, man," Steve threw him an understanding smile, "Those guys can be a bunch of douchebags sometimes..."

He froze, trying to comprehend the fact that this guy was actually apologising to him for the men who had hired him. So he wasn't like those guys after all... Danny had thought there was something a bit more special about this one compared to his companions.

"Uh, that's okay... used to it," he shrugged it off and cocked his head to one side, "You uh, you don't seem all that angry. I mean, I wouldn't blame you. You were kinda victimised up there..."

Steve blushed again – god that was adorable – and he tugged absently at his shirt. "Nah it's okay, I shouldn't have expected anything else from them, really. They think it's funny to put people in shit situations without thinking about anyone's feelings... If I'm honest, I don't really know why I hang out with half of them... They actually seem to derive fun from each other's embarrassment."

"Schadenfreude," Danny muttered.

"Uh... gesundheit?" the brunette responded carefully, crinkling his brow.

The shorter man snickered. "No, schadenfreude... it's the act of taking enjoyment in another person's misfortune. German or something."

"Oh, I see," Steve rubbed the back of his neck and moved a little closer, "That's cool... Listen, I just wanted to catch you before you left and say sorry for those guys. It can't be fun having to provide a service for idiots like that and put up with... well, with the stuff they said, and the whole 'Danielle' thing..."

He'd managed to ignore the vast majority of the homophobic undertones to the evening, but Danny appreciated the man and his apologetic attitude. It was rare for the victim to want to make amends.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of part and parcel of the job, y'know?" God now that he was only a foot or so away he could really see the colours in Steve's eyes again. They weren't just hazel like he'd thought they were up in the apartment, but a mix of browns and blues and greens all swirled together. He had to swallow hard and look away, but that only brought his gaze to the other man's solid chest.

"It shouldn't _have_ to be," Steve said softly.

Their eyes met again, and there was a moment when all Danny could think about was that kiss; how it had flipped his stomach in a good way, sent waves of excitement through his body, and how much he wanted to have it happen again.

Two of Steve's friends burst out onto the street, lighting cigarettes and chatting loudly, and one whooped when he spotted their buddy talking to the stripper.

Danny shook himself and backed away.

"Hey! Steve's got himself a girlfriend!" the drunk idiot yelled.

"Shut up, Mark!" Steve's tone was joking, but the slight curl to his lips told Danny he didn't like the way they were acting.

He figure now was a good time to take his leave.

"You have a good birthday, okay buddy?" he smiled awkwardly, and lowered his voice a bit more, "And as for your friends, if they don't bring something positive to your life then maybe you don't need them?"

Steve nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think you may be right there... Here, I also wanted to give you this."

He held out some folded cash, frowning when it was waved off by the stripper.

"Nah, it's okay, I've been paid."

The taller man reached out and took Danny's hand, pressing the notes into his palm. "Take it, it's a tip. For keeping your cool with them, and a job well done..." He flushed a little pinker around his cheeks. "You deserve it."

The blonde hated the fact that he had to remove his hand from Steve's grip, because his touch was so firm and warm and inviting, and it was making the hairs on his arm stand to attention. He stuffed the money into his pocket alongside his cell phone.

"Thanks," he nodded, having to clear his throat. "I've uh... I've got to go. Thanks," he repeated, and internally criticized his own awkwardness.

"Bye," Steve smiled in a way that made Danny's chest tighten. He was gorgeous, and the blonde was having to walk away before he embarrassed himself, or punched one of the jeering men at the door for their continued lewd comments.

He got to the corner, once again pulling his cell out to call for a taxi, and the cash fell to the sidewalk at his feet. He bent to pick it up, finding a scrap of note paper poking out of the folds.

Danny opened it up and grinned, shaking his head as he read the digits scrawled haphazardly on the paper.

Okay, maybe making the journey to New York wasn't so bad after all...


	2. Steve's POV

Steve McGarrett was hating his birthday so far.

His old school friend Tyler had insisted that he come to New York to celebrate his 25th birthday 'in style', but when Steve and his friends had arrived it emerged that Tyler's place was actually somewhat of a dive – an apartment on the fourth floor of a crappy block out in a bad neighbourhood.

They'd been out locally for a few drinks, but Steve had avoided drinking too much because he knew what his friends were like, and also it seemed alcohol was so much more expensive in the city bars. A couple of beers was all he'd had so far, that and the tequila shot that had been practically forced on him.

Then Tyler had announced they were heading back to his apartment because he'd 'booked a surprise' for his pal's gift – a cute, blonde stripper.

He wasn't a huge fan of being forced to watch strippers – it made him uncomfortable, having been brought up to be respectful of women – but the guys had hassled him and jostled him until he gave in and sat on the chair in the middle of the living room like they'd asked. He regretted it immediately when they clicked cuffs around his wrists and linked them to the chair (even though he could tell they were shit plastic and he could break them if required), and even more so when a blindfold was slipped over his face. Well at least he didn't have to look this poor woman in the eyes while she took her clothes off for a pack of flesh-hungry idiots...

The front door was opened, and some titters of amusement echoed around the room, and Steve immediately knew something was off. There was no way his buddies had done what they'd promised, they weren't that nice. The girl was probably going to turn out to be someone they deemed as ugly or fat, not that he would care about that himself. His friends were morons, but Steve had more respect for ladies than them.

Some of the guys started jabbing at his shoulder and hassling him where he sat waiting, and he heard Mark's voice ring out.

"Oh Steve, man! Have we got a gift for _you_!" A hand bounced off his bicep. "We told you we were getting you a stripper, right? Well say _helloooo_ to _Danielle_!"

Steve felt someone moved over him, legs either side of his own thighs, and then the person sank down into his lap. She felt a little heavier than he imagined the average stripper to be, but the warmth and firmness of her ass against his legs made his blood pump a little faster, even if he couldn't see what she looked like.

Heat rose up Steve's chest and into his cheeks, because he really didn't enjoy the attention, and he squirmed a bit in his seat and tugged at the restraints.

"Uh, hi Danielle..." he mumbled, trying to be polite.

The silent reply he received was a delicate stroke along his jaw while fingers curled under his chin. It felt for a second like he was going to get a kiss, but the stripper shifted in his lap to grind against his crotch and send blood rushing south involuntarily before she lifted back off him seconds later.

Tyler laughed. "She don't talk much, Steve. She's a little shy!"

 _And who could blame her?_ the brunette thought to himself, _Because she's got to put up with you lot gawping at her!_

"Come on then," one of the guys called out, and Steve thought he heard the bleep of a video camera being switched on, "Put the music on and lets have this girl do a little lap dance!"

Great, so there was going to be video evidence of this... he'd have to ensure that was destroyed later.

The background music got louder, and then the track was flipped over and Def Leppard filled his ears. It was one of his favourite songs, and he wondered if tonight's experience was going to ruin it for him.

The stripper's thighs moved against his legs and he had to widen his stance for her to slip in between them. Something pert and rounded bumped his chest, and it took him a few seconds of consideration to work out if it was Danielle's breasts or her ass. He figured if it had been her chest, he'd be able to feel her breathing on his face for that position to be possible, so ass it was.

Her legs moved against the insides of his knees and then her butt slid down his front to wriggle against his crotch, and his body began to respond excitedly to the contact. Fuck, this was so embarrassing.

The girl continued to sway against him in a sensual, rhythmic way, and he sensed the swish of fabric in front of his face which implied she'd just removed her shirt. He heard his friends all shouting and giggling like idiots.

Some of them called out to the stripper while others spoke directly to the birthday boy.

"Ah man, she's the hottest girl ever! You're gonna love watching this video later..."

"You're so lucky, bruh!"

Every comment was tinged with gleeful enjoyment, and he was really beginning to wonder what the punchline would be to their little joke.

A sharp ripping noise in front of him, timed to a loud beat in the song, made him jump. His brain reasoned that whatever the girl had been wearing – pants or skirt or uniform – must have been held together with velcro for quick removal. And now that garment was gone.

One of the guys crying out "Nice underwear, baby!" and whistling confirmed his suspicions that Danielle was now down to her panties, and that firm ass was back against his chest and bumping his chin again. He put his face to one side to avoid too much direct contact, but he couldn't deny how nice and firm she felt as she undulated against his collarbone.

He squirmed again as the stripper moved off him to nudge his legs back together and straddle him, and that delicious butt ended up in his lap once more, grinding against him while her hands supported her using his shoulders. It made him blush even more intensely and gasp quietly. He hoped she didn't hear that above the music, but she had more than likely noticed that he was turned on by her sultry dance.

He could hear Mark's giggle nearby. "I think our man looks too hot in that shirt, Danielle. Time to cool him down!"

Oh god, so he was going to get stripped too? This was unfair...

But her hands were oh so gentle as they moved to his waist and trailed upward over his shirt, and it raised the hairs on the back of his neck and on his arms. She was still dancing against him, but her fingers began to flick open his buttons with practised ease to the beat of the music, until his chest and stomach were exposed and the fabric was being tugged off his shoulders too. He licked his lips nervously and shifted in the chair.

Now that his shirt was open the stripper had access to his bare skin, and she took full advantage by trailing fingers upward either side of his ribs and smoothing a digit over each of his nipples. He jumped and drew in a sharp breath, willing his dick not to react. He could feel each movement of the body over him, still thrusting to the sexy rhythm of the song.

"Give him a little kiss, Danielle!" whooped one of his friends, slurring his words due to inebriation.

Steve didn't normally do this sort of thing, but he could already tell that his buddies weren't going to let him get out of the torture easily, so he lifted his chin to get it over and done with. She was basically sitting in his lap anyway, what was a kiss on top of that?

Danielle hesitated, and the brunette immediately felt bad for her, because she probably hadn't expected to be kissing anyone. Strippers had rules, just like any profession.

Tyler called out and practically ordered the poor girl. "Come on, kiss him!"

Steve was about to speak up and say that she didn't have to and to ignore his friend, when one of her hands moved off his chest to hold him still, and fantastically soft lips pressed to his. It was a firm but brief kiss, and he knew that the guys weren't going to be satisfied with that.

His fears were confirmed when they began to boo and complain it wasn't enough, insisting she could do better. Trying to make her feel better, he directed a small, sympathetic smile up to where her face probably was, and shrugged his own willingness. He was game if she was; it was only a kiss, right?

Not that his friends knew due to some of their ingrained homophobic attitudes, but Steve was bisexual and normally preferred guys. But he liked kissing girls too, and this meant nothing.

That hot mouth pressed to his again, and tingles raced through him at the more insistent contact when the stripper moved against his crotch. He found his mouth automatically opening, and her tongue slipped inside to press along his. It was glorious, and the stupid sounds his friends were making were drowned out by his sudden awareness of his own heartbeat.

Whoever this girl was, she was a fantastic kisser. She tasted of mint and sugar.

Her grip on his jaw was strong but gentle, and when her tongue delved even deeper into his mouth he pressed forward and released a little moan of enjoyment. Hot air huffed across his cheek and made him shiver, and the girl thrust forward in his lap slightly. It felt like energy was surging through him from somewhere, and he let himself drown in Danielle, who was slowing her dance above him to a gradual sway of her hips.

He was pulled from his reverie by the sensation of his cuffs being released from the chair legs, though they were still attached to his wrists, and his friend Chris chuckled behind him.

"Give your new girlfriend a little grope there, Stevie!"

He tentatively put his hands up to where the stripper was hovering over him, ready to pull his hands back if she told him there was a no touching rule, but there was such a strong connection in their kiss he hoped she wouldn't mind. When she didn't jerk away or complain he massaged softly, and that rounded ass felt glorious under his hands. He was slightly puzzled however, because she appeared to be wearing underwear that covered her cheeks, which he figured to be quite unusual for someone in her profession.

Danielle broke the kiss and straightened up, and he couldn't stop the slight noise of disappointment when her mouth left his. He had to get a look at this amazing woman, and he kept his left hand on her body while he used his right to pull the blindfold up off his head.

It took a second for him to focus in the now too-bright light, and he gazed up into sparkling bright blue eyes, but when he finally took the face of the person who kissed him, his stomach twisted. Had his friends worked out he was bi? We're they mocking his sexuality? Because the stripper was certainly not Danielle – she was decidedly male and, Jesus, really fucking hot.

He dropped his hands away, panic flowing through him, and his thoughts came out in a murmured "What the f..?" as he observed the stripper in all his mostly-naked glory. "You're a _guy_!"

The muscled blonde smirked and back away. "You noticed that, huh babe?"

His accent was purring and local, maybe New York or New Jersey, and he looked roughly the same age as Steve, but all the brunette felt right now was anger. Not at the stripper, but at his friends for arranging this humiliation. He actually felt guilty for the way they were not only being disrespectful to him, but also the poor guy they'd hired to give him a lap dance.

He glared at the guy who had orchestrated the whole evening. "You're such a dick, Tyler," he growled.

He turned, pulling his shirt back around him as if it might shield him from his so-called friends' laughter, and his eyes locked briefly with the stripper's. He was ashamed to see a fair bit of disillusionment flash through the blue before he had to look away. A beer was shoved into his had and he took a big gulp, and felt his face flush. That guy probably thought Steve was just like the guys he hung out with, all 'no homo, dude' and chest-beating neanderthals.

Several of them were clapping him on the back, congratulating one another on how they'd 'got him good'.

"Caught you out, Steve!" Chris grabbed his arm and clapped him on the shoulder.

Pete snorted. "You kissed a guy man, that's so gay!"

Steve had to physically stop himself from hitting his buddy, instead just playing along and laughing. "Yeah, you guys got me..."

"You fucking loved it didn't you?" Chris jeered again, "You had his ass in your face and you loved it!"

He glanced over to see the blonde throwing his clothes back on, hoping he wasn't hearing any of this, and he hoped they would take his embarrassment to be over the 'gay' encounter, not wanting to have to verbalise anything of the sort. It was anything but, because that kiss had been fantastic, and the twang of mint still felt like it was on his tongue, despite the alcohol he was now drinking.

"Aw man, you should have seen your face when you took that blindfold off! It was hilarious!" Someone jabbed his shoulder playfully. He'd stopped paying attention to which friend was mocking him by this point.

He watched Tyler move across the room to the stripper, who glanced back over at Steve for a second before turning to the owner of the apartment and accepting cash from him. The guy was smirking, trying to look neutral, but Steve could see he was unimpressed.

"Jeez, what a poof, man," Graham muttered loudly behind him, and Steve spun on him.

"Leave it out man, not cool," he warned.

"Whatever dude, you're the homo that kissed him!" The guy snickered and headed off for another beer from the cooler, which was probably for the best because he was about to receive a smack from the birthday boy to knock him into next Tuesday.

He was seriously so done with these guys...

He needed to apologise to the blonde man, hopefully make him see that not everyone in the room was like this, but when he made his way over to Tyler, the stripper was gone.

"Hey, where'd he go?" he waved to the open air, cuffs still hanging off his wrists.

"Danny? Long gone, bruh. Hey, that was so fun-"

"Hold this," Steve shoved his beer into his friend's hand, grabbing a notepad and pen from the side table and heading out of the apartment.

He took the stairs, pausing only to write his number out on one sheet of the notepad and ripping off half the sheet before flinging the rest of it over his shoulder. The least he could do was take this Danny guy out for a beer to apologise... and hey, if that led to more kisses like the one they'd just shared? He wouldn't complain. He still had one more day in New York City.

By the time he got out to the street, the blonde was standing not too far away with his phone out. He looked up to see Steve, a surprised expression raising his eyebrows.

"Hey," Steve approached and observed how the shorter man tensed, balling his free hand into a fist.

How many times had he been attacked for what he did to make him react that way?

"Danny, right?" he shoved his hands into his pockets to try and look non-threatening, and stopped a small distance away, "Steve."

Danny snorted. "Yeah, I guess we weren't properly introduced, huh?" he still looked wary of the brunette.

"I'm sorry man," he offered the other man a consolatory smile, "Those guys can be a bunch of douchebags sometimes..."

Danny gave him a suspicious look, but seemed to relax a bit and the corner of his mouth twitched upward.

"Uh, that's okay... used to it," he mumbled, "You uh, you don't seem all that angry. I mean, I wouldn't blame you. You were kinda victimised up there..."

His cheeks heated up again, just thinking about how idiotic his friends had acted, and pulled at his collar to try and release a little of the warmth he was suddenly feeling to the cool night air.

"Nah it's okay, I shouldn't have expected anything else from them, really. They think it's funny to put people in shit situations without thinking about anyone's feelings... If I'm honest, I don't really know why I hang out with half of them... They actually seem to derive fun from each other's embarrassment."

He was surprised when the blonde nodded and said something indecipherable. It could have been a foreign language, it could have been a sneeze, he wasn't quite sure. So his brain answered with a mixture of the two.

"Uh... gesundheit?"

His laughter made Steve's heart flutter a little. "No, schadenfreude... it's the ability to take enjoyment in a friend's misfortune. German or something."

Ah, so he'd got the language bit right at least.

"Oh, I see," he stepped in a little closer, wondering how to broach the subject of handing a stripper your number. It probably happened to him all the time, because he had a seriously hot body, and those eyes... but he didn't even know if the man was gay or bi or whatever.

"That's cool... Listen, I just wanted to catch you before you left and say sorry for those guys. It can't be fun having to provide a service for idiots like that and put up with... well, with the stuff they said, and the whole 'Danielle' thing..."

He was saddened by the 'it's happened before, it'll happen again' style response he got.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of part and parcel of the job, y'know?"

There were a few seconds of silence while Steve got temporarily lost in the ice blue of those irises. They were like the colour of the sea he liked to surf back in Hawaii. He didn't realise that Danny was gazing back until the man swallowed and shifted his eyes to Steve's chest, creasing his brow.

"It shouldn't _have_ to be," he replied quietly.

Danny looked up again, parting his lips a little like maybe he was about to speak... or something else? Steve was really beginning to notice how close they were now. He'd stepped right up to the blonde's personal space, but he hadn't backed away. Was he thinking about the kiss again, like Steve was? Had he felt that connection too?

Just then the doors slammed open behind him, and he jumped and looked back over his shoulder to see Mark and Chris lighting up cigarettes. Tyler had obviously informed them his apartment was no smoking allowed.

Chris whooped when he saw the two of them, and Steve felt more than saw it as Danny took a step back behind him.

Mark chimed in, obviously less than sober. "Hey! Steve's got himself a girlfriend!"

"Shut up, Mark!" He was getting so fed up with those morons right now... and worse still, he'd just been building up the confidence to hand his number over to Danny and there was no way he could do it in front of Chris and Mark. They'd tell everyone, they'd guess his sexuality, and he'd never live it down. He just couldn't deal with that right now.

And now Danny was shuffling awkwardly, obviously ready to head off.

"You have a good birthday, okay buddy?" he smiled lightly and brought his voice down to a whisper that Steve's buddies wouldn't hear, "And as for your friends, if they don't bring something positive to your life then maybe you don't need them?"

Wow, so he'd obviously sensed the brunette's consternation over the other guys' behaviour. It was good to know the stripper had set him apart from them, seeing he wasn't the same.

He nodded, and it suddenly occurred to him how he was going to get his scrap of paper over to the blonde without it being too obvious. "Yeah, I think you may be right there... Here, I also wanted to give you this."

He pulled some cash from his back pocket, two five dollar bills, and quickly folded them around the paper with his number on and held it out to Danny.

The shorter man waved his hand. "Nah, it's okay, I've been paid."

There was no way he was going to let this guy walk away without his contact details. Even if he found it and wasn't interested, at least Steve would have tried.

He took Danny's hand gently from mid air and placed the folded notes into his palm, giving him a meaningful look. It would be ten bucks more than well spent if he called. "Take it, it's a tip. For keeping your cool with them, and a job well done... You deserve it."

He was blushing again, and he knew it, because it was more than a job well done. Danny had seriously turned him on upstairs, using only his body and his natural rhythm, and oh god those lips...

The stripper seemed loathed to take his hand back, but instead of looking at what Steve had handed him like he hoped, the man just placed the money against the screen of his cell and shoved both into his pocket.

"Thanks," Danny nodded, looking flustered and coughing quietly, "I've uh... I've got to go. Thanks." He blushed a little, and Steve couldn't stop his lips curving upward at the sight of the blonde's adorable nervousness.

"Bye," he murmured, still taken by the attractive young stripper, and the way they were both obviously wanting to stay in each other's vicinity.

He began to register the background noise of Chris and Mark again, saying stupid little comments to one another, and as he watched Danny walk away he resigned himself to the rest of the evening. He planned to get drunk enough that his buddies' opinions no longer mattered to him, and when he got back to Hawaii he fully intended to see less and less of his supposed friends. Danny was right, they brought nothing positive; they were a bad habit he needed to break.

He turned to the guys at the door and light-heartedly told them to shut up or he'd break their faces, not really allowing the truth of his words ring through the way he wanted.

He looked up again in time to see Danny in the distance, at the corner of the street, and the blonde was pulling out his phone again. Steve's stomach twisted as he watches the paper fall to the ground, and he was afraid for a moment that the stripper hadn't spotted it. He was fully prepared to dash off down the street and retrieve it, chase Danny down if he had to, and maybe not return to Tyler's apartment at all. He wasn't getting this close and falling at the last hurdle.

But luckily Danny was bending to pick up the cash, checking it. He had to have seen he'd been handed the birthday boy's number. Steve couldn't quite see his face from where he stood, but the blonde shook his head and walked away out of sight.

Damn. Well, he'd tried. He'd really thought that Danny had felt what he'd felt in that kiss.

It wasn't until twenty minutes later, when he was back upstairs and his phone vibrated in his pocket, that he finally smiled again.

' _I hate NYC. If you wanna take me out for coffee, you need to head across the river – Danny_ '

Okay, so maybe coming over to New York for his birthday had been a good idea after all.


	3. Aloha

"Do you take sugar?" Steve grinned as he pushed the dispenser across the diner's scratched plastic table towards his companion while he took his seat again.

Danny gave him a mock glare in return, but picked up the sugar and dumped a load into the latte Steve had placed in front of him.

"Too soon?" the brunette chuckled.

"You think you're funny," the stripper waggled a finger at him, though the smile told Steve his new friend wasn't angry.

"I'm a funny guy," he shrugged and took a sip from his tea, burning his tongue a little and making a pained expression.

Danny laughed at him. "Yeah, you pull a great face when your drink bites back, I'll give you that..."

Steve relaxed back into his seat and regarded the man opposite him for a moment. He was so glad Danny had agreed to come out and meet him, even suggesting a diner on the edge of Jersey so Steve didn't have to travel too far out of New York. Even more glad of it this morning, as it was tipping it down with rain outside, and he'd had to run from the cab to the diner to avoid getting soaked.

He was feeling overall more confident today; knowing that the other man was interested enough to come out and meet him made him feel a little more secure in their mutual attraction.

Last night had been a ridiculous display of idiocy by his friends from start to finish, but if there was one thing they'd done right it was to 'accidently' hire a male stripper for Steve's birthday. Because even this morning, without the fuzz of alcohol and the dark lighting of the apartment, Danny still looked gorgeous. Even more so, in fact.

His pale blue eyes sparkled with mischief and humour, blonde hair swept back in a carefully controlled wave, and seeing him in his street clothes was a treat because he was wearing a Ramones t-shirt that stretched across his wide shoulders and he looked like he'd been poured into those jeans.

"I feel like I need to apologise again for last night," Steve stared down at his mug, waiting for the liquid to cool before attempting to drink it again, "It can't have been pleasant for you."

Danny shook his head. "I told you, don't worry about it. I see that sort of stuff every other week, and I still get paid regardless, so it's something I can live with. Plus, you were a lot less handsy than some of the female customers I get," he gave Steve a cheeky grin that twisted his stomach in funny ways.

"Yeah, but the guys said some really stupid stuff. I hated hearing it, and just because you hear it regularly it doesn't make it okay." He was so annoyed at his friends, and the blonde's words from the previous evening came back to him. _If they don't bring something positive to your life, then maybe you don't need them._ He was right.

"That's true. But last night wasn't _all_ bad," Danny purred, and the devilish grin was replaced by something a little softer. Steve had to look away from those expressive eyes, feeling almost exposed under the other man's gaze.

"No, it wasn't..."

Danny sipped from his drink again and watched the brunette carefully. He was blushing again, just a tiny tinge of pink on his cheekbones, and it was beautiful. He got the impression that Steve wasn't completely innocent on the subject of sex and flirting, so the fact that he seemed to have this reaction around the stripper was fascinating... and kind of sweet, really.

Danny's natural state of being was cheeky and brash, and he wasn't known for being subtle when it came to going for what he wanted – he saw no point in beating around the bush with sex and dating – so he hoped Steve wasn't getting the wrong impression of him. He didn't sleep around, he certainly didn't sleep with the clients who hired him for stripping, and he was just as picky as the next guy as to whom he took home, but his gregarious personality sometimes made him look like a tease or a bit promiscuous.

So today, he wanted to take things slowly.

"So where are you from?" he asked, "You're not a New Yorker."

"Hawaii," Steve cocked his eyebrow, "And how do you know I'm not a local?"

The stripper made a gesture with his hand that encompassed the entirety of the man sitting opposite him. "You're too... placid to be from around here. Must be an island thing. Plus the accent gets into you pretty quick. You can't be here for more than a couple months before you're talking like a city boy."

Steve hurled his best attempt at stereotypical New York at Danny, bringing his hands out in a broad gesture. "Aey, _forget aboud it_!"

It was horrendous and he knew it, but the look of consternation on the blonde's face was worth his own embarrassment.

"Do me a favour and never, ever, under _any_ circumstances, do that again..." Danny was trying to look disgusted, but it didn't work because this goof was adorable.

"Sorry, I must be too _placid_..." Steve parroted in return. He liked the Jersey man's vocabulary, and the way he used it with ease and without hesitation. Cute, smart, and unashamed to be exactly who he was; an appealing combination.

"Hawaii?" Danny wrinkled his nose, ignoring the mockery, "How do you _live_ there? Too hot, too much sand..."

He received an incredulous look in return. "You don't like the beach?"

The blonde shook his head. "I don't like the beach. I like cities. Grit and concrete and bustle, that's me." He waved a hand toward the window and the rain, which was finally beginning to let up.

"That's not normal," Steve chuckled.

"In _your_ opinion," Danny jabbed a finger at his companion.

Before Steve could reply, someone shuffled up to the side of their booth.

"Daniel sweetie, are you working on Monday?"

The brunette looked up to see a lady, maybe in her sixties or seventies, approach and put her hand on Danny's shoulder and squeeze.

"Hey Mrs Masters, yeah I'll be in. I'll see you there," the blonde smiled at her kindly, and then gave a flirtatious wink, "And don't you be getting up to mischief with that dodgy hip, you little minx!"

The elderly woman giggled and patted his shoulder. "Oh, you young men! Can't leave me alone!" she called over her shoulder as she hobbled away with her cane.

Steve stared at his companion is disbelief. "She… she works with you?" he stammered.

Hey, it was unlikely, but god only knew what kinks some people had...

Danny laughed. "No, she's a customer," he said simply.

The brunette felt a little ill at the thought. He leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. "You mean… you _dance_ for her?"

The stripper's eyes widened for a moment, and then he leaned back in his seat and cackled raucously.

"Oh dear god, no! I _do_ have a day job, ya know!" He grinned and leaned back in, placing his palms flat on the table, "I work at the bank during the week. Mrs Masters comes at the beginning of every week to pay in her pension check and she likes to come to my counter and flirt with me…"

Steve visibly relaxed, shoulders sagging in relief, which Danny found very entertaining.

"Stripping alone wouldn't support me in this town, babe. It's a nice little side earner, but my boring Monday to Friday gets the bills paid."

"Thank god," the taller man whispered.

"Yeah, but now I'm not gonna be able to look her in the eyes come Monday morning, so thanks for that," the Jersey man chuckled, "God, you're such a mook…"

Seeing Steve's smile made Danny's heart beat a little faster. It was so genuine and unguarded, and it made him want to use their time together to the fullest.

"How about I show you around Jersey, huh? I know all the good hideouts the tourists never see..."

"Tourists? You mean people come here on _vacation_?" Steve's hazel eyes sparkled, "Like, on _purpose_?"

Danny narrowed his eyes. "Or you could just go hang with your buddies until you fly back to hula land. I don't care." He folded his arms over his chest, but let humour soften the edge of his snark.

The taller man smirked. "No... I think I'd prefer your company..."

"So what do you do in Hawaii, then?" Danny bumped his shoulder to Steve's as they walked down Bloomfield Avenue towards the park, swerving around puddles on the sidewalk.

On their journey, the Jersey native had pointed out multiple points of interest, insisting to Steve that Jersey was indeed an interesting, varied and exciting place to visit, and the brunette had resisted the urge to point out the obvious running theme - that over half of Danny's so-called 'attractions' were places to get food, mostly Italian.

"I own a beach-side bar and grill in Waikiki, work there most nights," he shrugged, "You get to meet lots of people, it's nice."

"You own a bar? That's awesome," Danny threw him an excited smile, "And at only twenty-five, you're young to have your own business."

"I had help from family and friends to get it up and running. Luckily Hawaii has a pretty constant tourist trade coming in, and drinking at the beach is always popular." Steve never really liked to boast about his place. It was pretty average as bars went, and didn't earn him huge amounts of money, but it made him happy. "I thought about going into the same line of work as my dad at one point, but he put me off police work at an early age after mom died, so I decided to become an entrepreneur."

"Well I minored in business, so if you ever need any advice you can always call," Danny laughed, "That's why I work at the bank, getting to know the inner workings of the finance world a little better while I decide what I wanna do. I thought about the NJPD at one point too."

The brunette snickered. "God, can you imagine us as _cops_?"

"We'd probably end up blowing up half of Jersey somehow," Danny laughed, turning to walk backwards as they entered the park so he could meet Steve's eyes.

"Oh no, I'd never be a cop here. We would be in Hawaii, chasing perps, kicking butt and taking names," the taller man insisted, envisioning their Jump Street style operation on the beaches of Waikiki and Honolulu.

But Danny waved his arms in a negative gesture. "No, nuh uh," he shook his head, "I'm _never_ going to Hawaii, thank you very much."

"I think I could make you change your mind," Steve winked.

"I have a police uniform at home, ya know," the shorter man grinned slyly, shifting the focus away from his dislike for sun and surf, "For the weekend job."

Steve made a sound of mock interest so as not to let on that he was actually already picturing his companion in the outfit in his head. Jesus...

They stopped at a food stand and Danny talked his friend into trying one of the hot dogs along with him. It was delicious, and Steve had to concede that maybe the blonde knew what he was talking about when it came to local eateries.

Danny was really enjoying showing the taller man around, chatting and taking their time to get to know one another. Wandering around the park allowed him to get in regular checks of Steve's body as well, which didn't hurt. He was wearing loose-fitting jeans which advertised the slim shape of his hips and waist, and his dark blue t-shirt was tight enough that Danny could see the muscles working in his back when he walked and gestured, and when he turned around he could make out the outline of the abs he'd run his fingers up the previous evening.

God, he wanted to do that again, but he was going to take let this go slow and see where it could lead, because they had some sort of connection he wanted to explore and didn't want to risk losing out to lust.

Steve pointed to a snack food store across the way as they went to stand near a bench at the corner of the park. "The pretzels around here are great, I'll give you that. We have these donut things called malasadas, but the pretzels in Hawaii just aren't as good as on the mainland... I'll have to buy a few tomorrow before the flight and take them home."

The blonde paused, taking in that information. "Tomorrow?"

The taller man nodded and gave him a rueful smile. "Yeah, I fly back in the afternoon."

Danny looked disappointed, and that had an interesting affect on Steve's chest. It made him simultaneously both happy that the blonde liked him enough to feel negatively about the fact he was leaving so soon, and sad that his leaving might cause the man upset.

And Danny _was_ disappointed, because damn it he'd wanted to spend more time with this guy, connect more, and now there was a tighter time limit than he'd realised.

"Wow, okay, well I knew you'd be leaving soon but I didn't think... tomorrow, really?"

Steve just nodded in reply, and watched the stripper's thoughtful expression turn into one of playful suspicion.

"You're not just saying that to get into my pants, are you? It's not some line like 'I'm dying tomorrow, let's have sex' just so you can hurry things along, right?" He crossed his arms over his wide chest and leaned against the bench behind him.

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's not a line..." he said, before registering the implications of the rest of the other man's sentence.

That's where he thought this was going? He was as attracted to Steve as Steve was to Danny?

He considered the blonde for a moment. "Why? Would it work if it was?"

Danny wasn't going to give in that easily, wasn't going to admit that all it made him want to do was jump the guy and arrange it so he couldn't leave. Not yet. They hadn't been given a chance to really know one another.

But he had his pride, so he gave him a look of consideration before pressing his lips together in a line and shaking his head. "Nope, not working."

Steve's eyes sparkled and narrowed a little, and Danny's stomach flipped at the slightly predatory gleam that flashed through them. The brunette liked a challenge, evidently, and his confidence was growing by the minute.

The taller man stalked the few steps that separated them, slowly. He stopped inches from Danny and stared down at him, eyes searching his face.

"How about now?"

It was because of his announcement, this schedule he'd now applied to them, that this was coming to a head. Because they'd been subtly and not-so-subtly flirting all day, heated eyes and little comments and cheeky smiles, and now he had to act on it. Because it felt like it was kind of now or never.

Danny unfolded his arms and leaned his hands against the back of the bench, trying to look unaffected, but he had to swallow hard before replying. It was all a front – a kind of foreplay – and they each knew it by now. They were both on the same page, could feel the magnetic charge from one another as they orbited closer throughout the day, and now that their intentions were even clearer it was getting more intense.

"Nope." He let the word pop in the small void between them, gaze now locked with Steve's.

The brunette leaned in further, until they were breathing one another's air. "How about now?"

Before Danny could answer, soft lips were pressed against his and his eyes drifted closed. The kiss was almost tentative at first, becoming more insistent as Steve stepped right into his personal space, inserted one leg between the stripper's to rest their bodies together, and his hands went to Danny's biceps to squeeze firmly.

The Jersey man huffed out a small sigh and let his grip move from the bench to Steve's hips, fingers nudging under the hem of his shirt to slide hesitantly over bare skin. The brunette moaned quietly and pressed their stomachs and hips together tighter, essentially trapping Danny against the seat while they tilted their heads so their mouths could slot into place perfectly when they opened to one another.

Energy flowed over Steve's skin, raising goosebumps and lighting a fire in his stomach. Kissing Danny felt like sticking a fork in a power socket – he could feel the electricity all throughout his body, nerve endings tingling and making his hairs stand on end.

Danny, meanwhile, was trying not to melt from the heat being produced in his own chest. The cool breeze in the air was nothing compared to the temperature he felt like he was radiating, like metal shimmering under the sun's rays. Steve's solid muscle against his own body only added to the arousal, making him burn brighter, hotter.

Their tongues slid over one another's in a slow duel, investigating and testing and teasing, and he dug his fingertips into the flesh of the brunette's hips a little harder. He wanted to catalogue every inch of Steve's body, sooner rather than later.

Steve eventually pulled back, one eyebrow quirked in query over heavy-lidded eyes, and Danny vaguely remembered there had been a question asked before that kiss.

He cleared his throat. "Uh... Yeah, okay. Maybe, just _maybe_ ," he waved a stern finger at the taller man, "it might be working..."

Steve allowed himself to re-learn how to breathe, and observed Danny's mouth scrunch up into a little frown, brow creasing as he looked like he was considering something important.

"What are you thinking?" he finally managed to ask.

"I am thinking... I'm thinking what the hell am I doing showing you Branch Brook Park when I _should_ be showing you my apartment..." Danny grinned, and then he was taking Steve's hand and practically dragging him to the taxi rank.

It was a short journey to the building Danny lived in, which was good because neither of them could stand keeping their hands to themselves in the cab.

They barely made it into the elevator before Steve was kissing the stripper again, harder than before, and then Danny was gripping his hair and pulling him back so he could attack the taller man's neck and throat with open-mouthed kisses.

Steve moaned and leaned back into the metal wall, allowing the blonde to do as he wished, running his hands up Danny's back and rucking his shirt up out of the way so he could knead the muscles there.

The ding of the elevator hitting the right floor made them back away, but only long enough for Danny to lead them to his door and fling it open. The second they were inside, they were all over each other once more.

Each time they were forced to stop touching it seemed like the pull of one another was so much more powerful, to the point where physical reconnection was like a high-speed collision now.

Desperation took over, and strong hands grasped and massaged and pulled and tugged until their t-shirts, shoes and socks littered the floor of Danny's living room and they had made it to the end of his bed while barely breaking the hot kiss.

Steve managed to get Danny's flies undone and hook his fingers into the waistband of his jeans and underwear to take them both down at once. The Jersey man was doing the same thing, and as his clothing pooled at his ankles he stepped out of it and sat on the edge of his mattress.

He tugged Steve's jeans down to half way on his thighs and gripped the denim to pull him around and forward, and then he was taking the head of the brunette's cock into his wet mouth.

"Oh, holy fuck!" Steve cried out and his hands flew to Danny's head, tangling fingers into the blonde strands as he was taken back into the slick, smouldering heat.

He managed to continue to remove Steve's jeans, even while sucking experimentally on the tip of his cock and swirling his tongue around the end, and then he began to run his hands all over the muscled thighs and tight ass cheeks within his reach.

"Oh god damn, Danny..." the brunette sighed and scratched lightly at his scalp, sending little tickles of pleasure down his spine.

Danny took him in deep and moaned, making Steve gasp and curse again.

The Jersey man's mouth felt so good around his dick, his talented tongue and lips travelling over the skin and massaging, teasing, caressing, with each movement drawing a moan from his mouth. Steve revelled in the sensations for a minute or so, enjoying the way Danny's fingers gripped his ass to pull him in close.

"Shit, how are you so good at this?" he panted out, voice raw from breathing hard. He could feel the building orgasm in his belly, the tight sensation in his abdomen, and he used his grasp on Danny's hair to gently pull him back and away.

The blonde looked up at him as he released his cock with a lascivious pop and grinned, and Steve just had to take those swollen lips with his own.

He finally kicked out of his jeans which had settled around his ankles, and bent to kiss the stripper, backing him further onto the bed until his head was on the pillows and Steve was straddling his thighs. He ended up on all fours over Danny, pushing his head into the goose down as they wrestled with their tongues and bit at one another's lips playfully.

Danny writhed under the taller man as Steve began to kiss down his jaw and throat, crawling back down his body to trace a white hot trail over his chest with his tongue. He pinched the blonde's nipples and mouthed over his abs, before licking a wet line up the underside of his cock where it lay against his stomach.

"Mmm god..." Danny hissed and bucked his hips up, and Steve chuckled as he traced the same line, drawing a similar breathy reaction from his chest.

A large hand curled around Danny's girth, and squeezed lightly while Steve kissed the head of his dick and used his tongue to make him squirm. He swore when the brunette sucked him in deeper, losing himself in the feeling of velvet lips and smooth, wet heat.

Steve held Danny's hips to the bed while he pleasured him, bobbing his head and varying the pressure, loving the way the stripper fisted the sheets and the noises he made under him.

Danny wanted this blow job to go on forever, but it felt so good he knew it wouldn't last much longer if he let it continue, so he slipped one hand into his companion's hair and tugged.

"Babe, oh fuck Steve, you gotta stop... c'mere..."

He kissed his way back up the Jersey man's body until their mouths connected again for a sweet, slow exchange, and then suddenly he was being flipped sideways and onto his back with Danny smiling mischievously down on him.

The blonde reached for his bedside drawer and fetched a bottle of lube, sitting back on his haunches so he could squeeze some onto his palm and smooth it down the length of Steve's cock. He watched the man below him intently as he did so, committing to memory the way in which his dark lashes flickered and his lips parted when he gasped. He was seriously beautiful.

He then dripped lube onto his own dick and tossed the bottle to one side, leaning back down to plant his hand next to Steve's head on the bed and settle his knees to bracket the other man's.

He rolled his pelvis down and forward, gliding their cocks together and moving his hand between their bodies to bring them together and stroke down their lengths.

Steve snuck both of his hands in between them, batting Danny's out of the way so the blonde could steady himself on the bed with both arms and control his thrusts better as he built a rhythm. Steve's hands were slightly larger, and he used both of them to wrap around their dicks and pump slowly in the opposite direction to Danny's drives.

They both groaned and sighed, and Danny tucked his face against Steve's neck while they moved against each other. He made his thrusts long and drawn out, the other man matching his pace and occasionally bucking up off the bed to add to their pleasure.

Heavy breathing and moaned curses filled the room as they allowed themselves to get lost in one another, absorb each other's energy and become fuelled by the other's licentious sounds even as they could barely control their own exclamations.

Danny began to speed up, the sensation of their cocks gliding alongside each other and through Steve's firm grip was delicious on so many levels, and as his pace increased the brunette responded in kind and increased his firm grip and rhythm.

"Fuck, Danny... I'm gonna come..." Steve's throat was rough from sex, he sounded almost a little desperate, and he didn't care. Because this was glorious, amazing, intense, and he could tell the Jersey man was close as well.

Danny wanted nothing more than to be the cause of Steve's pleasure, to have him come undone beneath him, and he pulled back a little to nibble along his neck and up to his earlobe.

"God yes... I need you to come, Steve..."

The low, purring voice in his ear sent Steve over the edge he'd been balanced on, and he cried out and tensed his hands around them as he spilled onto his stomach and pressed his head into the pillows.

"Fuck, _fuck_!"

Seeing his release was enough to bring Danny to orgasm, and he rocked his hips to fuck through Steve's flexing grip a couple more times before his climax hit and he was adding to the mess on his friend's body.

He clenched his teeth and keened out a low whine as the endorphins flooded his blood stream, and he rolled to the side when he finally let himself relax so he didn't crush Steve.

They lay panting next to each other, regaining their strength and letting the post-orgasmic bliss flow over them as they gazed up at the ceiling.

"Holy fuck..." Steve mumbled, and they both broke into giggles.

"Yeah, I second that," Danny grinned and shifted onto his side, "You know, I think I should make it clear... I don't normally sleep with a guy after knowing him less than a day, that's not how I usually operate." He needed Steve to know he wasn't that kind of guy.

Soft hazel eyes gazed back up at him. "Well I'm glad I was the exception," Steve smiled affectionately.

"You want a shower, babe?" Danny ran a finger through the sticky mess on the brunette's stomach.

Steve hummed happily. "Mmm yes, definitely. And then, no offence to New Jersey and all, but I vote the only sights I need to see are right here in your apartment."

Danny's smile was like bright sunshine. "Jersey's got nothing on what I'm gonna show you..."

They spent the afternoon on Danny's couch in their boxers, ordering in pizza and watching a football game with beers from the stripper's fridge, their legs tangled together between them.

Steve received a lecture on his choice of pizza topping, but he refused to give in on the ham and pineapple combination, and Danny's disgusted expression as he called the order in to his local pizzeria was hilarious. He ordered a simple plain pizza for himself, and the filthy noises he made while eating it made Steve temporarily discard his own food and leap on the blonde, bringing more of those sounds from his lips for a completely different reason.

He then forced Danny to have at least one slice of the Hawaiian, and although the shorter man complained and berated it the whole time, he still ate the whole piece.

They talked and ate and drank, and indulged in one another as much as humanly possible with the knowledge that this was it for them. When eleven o'clock came around and Steve admitted he had to head back to New York, and Tyler's apartment, the mood grew sombre.

It was bittersweet, because their time together had been glorious, and though neither of them wanted to part at least they were ending things on a high note.

"Should I... I mean... Should I text you? Or..." Steve stood on the sidewalk by the door to Danny's apartment block while they waited for his cab.

The blonde shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and gazed at him longingly, eyes sad. "I don't know, Steve... I mean, I'm never coming to Hawaii. No offence, but I can't see myself in a pineapple-infested hell hole like that," he smirked, but sobered quickly, "Do you think... Do you think you'd ever come back to New York or Jersey?"

Steve sighed. "This isn't me," he waved a hand at the city surrounding them, "And I don't think I'll be seeing Tyler again, honestly. He'll be mad I sidelined him today, even more so when he finds out why..."

"You gonna tell him where you've been?" Danny looked genuinely surprised.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. You know, you were right. If they're not bringing something good to my life then why keep working at it? I need to be more open about who I am, and if they don't like it then they can go do their own thing..."

Danny nodded. "Good. I uh, I hope... I just want you to be happy..."

It was hard to say that, and easy at the same time, because he'd known this guy for twenty-four hours and he already knew he wouldn't ever forget him. Steve was under his skin, tattooed on his memory.

But he knew that long distance never worked. He knew this was it.

Steve gazed at him for a long minute, and his smile was warm but muted. "So this is it then..."

"I really enjoyed... Everything. But texts, calls, whatever... anything else is just gonna be confusing..." He hated himself for saying it, but he knew it was for the best. This was a holiday romance for Steve, a brief fun fling before he landed back in Hawaii and real life began again.

The taller man nodded. "I know. And... today was amazing, Danny."

They looked up as the cab drew up to the kerb side, and Steve reached out to squeeze Danny's hand before walking to the car. Then as soon as he had turned away, he was turning back, taking hold of the Jersey native's face and crushing their lips together.

The final kiss was fierce and heartfelt and heavenly, and they gripped on to one another tightly until Danny pulled back and they rested their foreheads together, eyes closed.

"Aloha, Danny," Steve whispered.

Danny smiled as their eyes met again. "Be good to yourself, Steve."

All too soon the brunette was in his cab and heading back toward New York, with Hawaii in his thoughts.

Danny was right, things would get way too complicated if they stayed in touch. He pulled out his phone, went into the contact he had only created last night, and his thumb hovered over the screen for a long time before he finally deleted the stripper's number.

Tomorrow he was heading home to Hawaii. Danny would forget him, and he would get back to managing his bar. Everything would be as it was meant to be.

"Here's your deposit receipt," Danny handed Mrs Masters the slip of paper and threw her a wink, 'Anything else I can help you with, babe?"

The older woman laughed and took her receipt. "Not today, sweetie. Oh, and I meant to ask, who was that lovely young man you were with at the café? I never meant to interrupt your date..."

He adored this woman. She had never been judgmental of his sexuality, despite her age and the generation she was part of being generally known as homophobic. She believed in 'love is love', and was always open with him.

Danny dropped his gaze. "Oh that... that was Steve. It's okay though, don't worry."

Mrs Masters gave him a considering look. "Oh, have I touched a nerve? Did it not go well?"

He looked back up at the woman and suddenly wanted nothing more than to spill his guts about everything, because she always listened so intently. "Actually... the exact opposite. It was one of the best days of my life, if I'm honest. But he's gone now, and long distance just doesn't work so," he flexed his hands out like he was trying to magic away the lingering doubt in the pit of his stomach, "It's for the best."

His customer leaned in and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry to hear that honey... but I'll be honest with you, because you're a sweet boy. Long distance doesn't always work, but then again nothing works if you don't at least give it a go, hm?"

Danny shook his head. "I guess. But it's too late now."

He'd deleted Steve's number, removing the temptation before it could own him.

"Is it?" Mrs Masters grinned at him, "See you next Monday, Daniel."

"Bye." He stared after her as she left, hearing her question repeating in his mind.

Damn it.

Steve sat on the veranda to his bar, double doors wide open and the music filtering out into the warm air.

It had been three weeks since New York, and a lot had changed with his friendship group. He'd told his buddies that he was bi, and about Danny, and some of them had reacted in a negative way. He was glad to see the back of them, if he were truthful. The ones who hadn't minded were still good friends however, and it felt amazing to be honest about who he was. One had even tried to set him up with their cousin.

He'd taken on two new members of staff, Kono and Chin, and was considering buying up a larger bar further down the beach and expanding a bit more.

He still hadn't got a certain stripper out of his mind though, and any time he heard a Def Leppard song he felt a sharp tug at his heart. But that would fade in time.

Kono appeared at his shoulder.

"Hey boss? I know it's your break but someone's ordering a latte and I don't know how to work the coffee machine yet..." she smiled, "Sorry."

"No problem, I'll come do it." He hopped up and headed inside to find the customer sitting at the bar.

Sharp blue eyes gazed back at him across the counter, filled with hope, and his breath caught in his chest.

"Danny?"

It was the last face he'd expected to see in his bar, or even on this island, and he wasn't sure if his heart had stopped or was simply beating too fast for him to feel it.

The smile he received was tentative. "Hey, babe."

"I thought you said you'd never come to Hawaii..."

Danny shifted in his seat and shrugged. "I dunno, guess I realised there might be something appealing about the place," he grinned, "Plus I looked it up and it turns out 'aloha' doesn't really mean goodbye..."

Steve felt his cheeks heat up, because that was the reason he'd used that as his last words to Danny. He couldn't have coped with something as final as goodbye. But then, the blonde hadn't said it either.

He smiled and turned to flick the switches on the coffee machine and make the order. "So how did you find me?"

Danny chuckled. "I asked the guy at the hotel reception to send me to the best beach front bar and grill in Waikiki. And when I got _there_ , I asked them where Steve McGarrett's place was." He gave him a cheeky wink which made the brunette laugh.

"Watch it, I'll bar you," he threatened.

The two men stared at one another for a long moment, just soaking in the fact that Danny was here, in Hawaii, in front of Steve. And it felt like the beginning of something.

The brunette slid the cup of coffee across the bar to Danny, and picked up the sugar dispenser.

"I just have one very important question for you," Steve leaned on the counter and met the Jersey man's eyes to hold them intently.

"What's that, babe?" Danny leaned forward as well, until their faces were inches apart.

Steve grinned.

"One lump or two?"


End file.
